Stage appliance.



H. B. LAUGENOUR.

STAGE APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1911.

1,046,81 3. Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

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HAZEL B. LAUGENOUR, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

STAGE APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application fi1ed December 4, 1911. Serial No. 663,708.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAZEL B. LAUGENOUR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented a new and useful Stage Appliance, of which the followingis a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable thoseskilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a tank used upon the stage for the purpose ofdisplaying the skill of a swimmer to an audience, and its especialobject is to provide means whereby a rapidly moving current of water maybe produced in order that a tank of the minimum size may be used, whileat the same time the skill of the swimmer is displayed, notwithstandingthe fact that the swimmer remains in substantially the same placethroughout the exhibition.

In the drawings in which the same numeral of reference is applied to thesame portion throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe tank illustrating the application thereto of a motor and pump forproducing the current. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the tank, showingthe supporting wheels. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tank, showingthe supporting wheels and looking at the glass front. Fig. 4 is a detailof a corner of the tank, showing the manner of securing the sides to thebottom, and Fig. 5 is a plan View of a portion of the corner of the tankwith the top rail removed therefrom, showing the means for securing theglass front in place.

The numeral 1 represents the supporting joists, there being four of saidjoists, each joist being provided with a pair of wheels 2 to facilitatemoving the tank about upon the stage. The joists support a floor 3 saidfloor having an extension at l on one side of the tank to provide asuitable support for a motor M and pump P.

It will be observed that the tank is divided into two parts forconvenience in transportation and that all of the other parts of thetank may be disassembled from the bottom when it is desired to ship thetank from place to place.

The ends of the tank 6 are formed of any suitable material and haveangle plates 7 on the edges thereof, and an angle plate 8 at the bottomto facilitate securing said end to the bottom of the tank and to thecorner piece 9, suitable bolts 10 securing the end to the bottom and tothe corner piece. Each end 6 is provided with a funnel 11, in the frontof which is a shield 12, bars 13 securing said shield in place in frontof the funnel, the object being to prevent the direct impact of thewater upon the swimmer and to more evenly distribute the current. On theoutside there is a collar 14: for connecting to an oppositely disposedcollar 15 on the pipe lines 16, said pipe lines being connectedrespectively to the intake and outlet of the pump so that the waterhandled thereby is simply pumped from one end of the tank to the otherend thereof.

The back of the tank 17 may be in two Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

pieces, one for each half of the tank, suitable flanges 18 being usedfor securing each piece of the back to the bottom, while an arch 19 madeof T bar is used to secure the two pieces together, as well as toprovide means whereby the tank is prevented from spreading at thecenter, said arch passing from the bottom of one side thereof up overthe top and to the bottom on the other side thereof.

The uprights 9 at each end of the tank on the front side, each have aplate 20 secured thereto, as indicated on Fig. 5, said plate forming themeans whereby the base boards 21 are secured to the ends and alsoforming the means whereby the glass windows 22 are secured to the endpieces 9. On the lower edge the side pieces 21, are each provided withan angle bar 24, said angle bars forming the means whereby the sidepieces are secured to the bottom of the tank. Suitable bolts 25 connectthe angle bars 24- and the tank bottom.

On the upper edge of each of the side pieces 21, there is a plate 26suitably bolted thereto and against which the glass is secured.Connected with the end piece 9 is a top angle bar 27, which extendsacross the arch 19, one of said bars being connected to each end piece9. Connecting the side piece 21 and bar 27, is a T bar 28. The two topbars 27 and the two side pieces 21 are suitably connected to the bottomand end pieces and are then connected to the arch 19, by means of bolts,whereupon the glass may be inserted in the four openings thus produced.Each glass has a suitable gasket 29 laid adjacent the outer flange ofthe angle bars and plates 26, whereupon the glass is inserted in placeand another gasket is then placed on the inner side of the glass,whereupon plates 30 are placed against the gasket and bolted tightagainst the glass, the plates 30 extending entirely around the innerside of the windows produced.

When the tank is properly assembled and all of the joints made watertight, it may be filled and is ready for exhibition. purposes, whereuponthe swimmer may jump into the Water and can give an exhibitionin-swimming in a current of any desired velocity, the velocity beingdependent upon the amount of power available for pumping purposes. It isof course desired to use such a current as will maintain the swimmer ina position as nearly fixed as possible in order that the tank may bemade as small as possible, and to prevent the swimmer from striking thetank, while at the same time she remains in full view of the audience.Another advantage of this form of tank is that it has no very largepieces, all of the parts being readily dismounted for shipment.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

, 1. In a stage appliance, a swimming tank having windows on one sidethereof and means to discharge a current of water from one end to theother end of the tank, as described.

2. In a stage appliance, a swimming tank having Windows on one sidethereof, means to cause a current of Water to travel from one end of thetank to the other, and means to equalize the current throughout theentire area of the tank, as described.

3. In a stage appliance, a sectional swimming tank, an arch to which thesides of the tank are connected near the center thereof, and means tocause the water in the tank to. travel from one end to the other endthereof,'as described.

4. In a stage appliance, a sectional swimming tank, an arch in which thesides of the tank are connected near the center thereof, the front ofsaid tank having glass windovvs, means to discharge water from one endof the tank to the other, and means to substantially equalize thecurrent of water throughout the tank, as described.

5. In a stage appliance,a swimming tank having windows on one sidethereof, inlet and outlet pipes for supplying water to the tank and forconveying the same away, a pump connected with the pipes, funnel shapedinlets and outlets for the pipe lines leading to said pump and shieldsin front of said funnels to substantially equalize the rate of movementof the Water over the entire area of the tank, as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day ofNovember A. D. 1911, in the presence of two subscribed witnesses.

HAZEL B. LAUGENOUR. Vitnesses M. M. GAROUTTE, M. A. BRUSIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

